LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Legends of a monster living under a dangerous train trestle have lured people to a quiet Louisville creek for decades. Some swear they have seen proof of a human-goat hybrid terrorizing the area. Others leave with no sightings and no story to tell. Those are the lucky ones.
The story of a "Pope Lick Monster" or "Goatman" haunting the trestle at Pope Lick Creek has been commonplace in Louisville—even becoming the focus of a movie in the late '80s.
Filmmaker Ron Schildknecht said he created "The Legend of the Pope Lick Monster" to explore and celebrate the folklore, something he said was unique to the city. Despite differing descriptions and stories of the monster, Schildknecht said there were common themes throughout every telling.
"There were some main elements: half-man, half-sheep/goat, the train trestle, an imposing structure, and there was the initiator and [the initiated], someone trying to scare their friend or their girlfriend," Schildknecht said.
While Schildknecht said the origin of the legend was never clear, one thing is: people have lost their lives on the trestle.
When he started filming, there were several reports of trespassers in the area. By the time the film debuted, two people died. Just this year, a 15-year-old girl was killed when she was hit by a train at the trestle.
"People that have experienced these horrible tragedies, the friends and family left behind to tell the story...it's devastating," Schildknecht.
The family and friends of that 15-year-old, Savanna Bright, are still trying to piece together what happened the night she died. Bright was at the trestle with friends on May 29 when a train hit her and another girl. She was pronounced dead at the trestle.
Stories of how and why Bright got on the platform that night differ from person to person, but her family and friends all say the same thing: Bright was there for everyone—even to her detriment.
"Every room she walked into, she lit it up," her friend Juliana said. "I think it makes a lot more sense why her last name is bright. She made my life bright."
Bright's father, Tommy, echoed her friend's sentiment. When he heard what happened that night, he rushed to the trestle, a place he had told his daughter to stay away from about a year earlier.
"I explained to her how there's this legend. It's not true, don't give it no thought," he said. "And don't go up there cause it's a no-win scenario."
But Bright still went up there.
"She was always there for all her friends and everybody and tried to help everybody out, but when she could have used a little help, no one was there for her," her father said. "She tried to make sure they were safe and taken care of, but no one was there for her. She didn't get here by walking—she got up here cause friends brought her up here."
When Schildknecht's movie came out, trestle owner Norfolk Southern Railway put fences up to try and stop people from trespassing. More than 20 years later, people like Bright are still able to easily access the trestle.
Hugh McCormack, the manager of special investigations for the railroad's police department, said the area is one of the only places he knows that has an alluring angle to it.
"I can't think of another area. It's something, you'd have to say, special to the Louisville area where it's become such a story they want to follow it," McCormack said. "They have to realize they can't come on private property to search for anything. The only way to be on our property is for us escorting."
McCormack worked to educate people about the dangers of trespassing on railroads, saying people can be cited or arrested on a misdemeanor if found at the trestle.
While there are signs that read "No Trespassing" on the fences surrounding the railroad, the signs are hard to see at night. WHAS11 also found part of the fence bent back in a position far enough for people to get in for at least four weeks.
Norfolk Southern said the loss of lives on the track is concerning, but there have been no major changes to the safety of the track.
"It's extremely stressful, especially to our engineer and conductor on those trains," McCormack said. "They try to do everything they can to let people know they are coming through trying to let people understand they cant stop fast."
Bright's friends and family said something has to change.
"I think that's wrong to say...it's a tragedy, but then not doing anything about it," Juliana said. "People are going to go up there regardless. there needs to be something changed."
Tommy said he hoped that by sharing his daughter's story, he can encourage others to stay off the track—and maybe encourage Norfolk Southern Railroad to make any changes.
"They know people's going up there, they're gonna know people's going up there, so putting a walkway up there would allow safe passage," he said. "They still shouldn't trespass, and if someone is up there, they should be prosecuted, but it would allow them safe passage so they could get caught up there, instead of killed."
The advice to people searching for something that might not exist: don't fall under the spell of the Pope Lick Monster.
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